Summer's End
by WhichWolfWins
Summary: It's the end of summer and Dean doesn't want to say goodbye to Castiel.


When the last kid finally drops off to sleep, snoring softly into his thin Star Wars pillow, Dean shifts quietly out of his own bed and slips his feet into his boots. Victor, his co-counselor, is fast asleep with his back to Dean, so it's easy for him to sneak silently past him to the door. It's wooden and has a tendency to creak, so Dean opens it slowly and squeezes through the crack, knowing too well how light some of the kids sleep.

It's surprisingly warm out, the late-summer air warming his face like the sun's still out, so Dean doesn't bother grabbing his coat from where he'd left it hanging on the wooden railing outside his cabin. The low hanging moon lights the dirt path with a soft blue glow on the trees around him and Dean follows it, fisting his hands in his pockets as he walks.

He hears rocks skitter across the dirt and someone steps out from a hidden path in the woods to his right. He can't tell who it is at first, because they blend into the dark for a moment until they're fully on the dirt path. There, the moonlight casts the guy's dark hair with blue highlights and Dean's able to make out his features.

Dean's heart thunders in his chest when the blue-eyed counselor's look of surprise is quickly wiped away with a warm smile of relief at the sight of him.

"Cass!" Dean smiles. "What're you doin' out here so late?" he asks, surprised to see Cass breaking the rules without him. "Haven't you heard there are werewolves in these woods?"

Castiel's brows furrow together. "I couldn't sleep," he explains. "Werewolves?"

Dean's face splits into a grin and he laughs at his expression. "I was planning to go for a swim. Want to? I'll tell you all about it on the way."

Castiel meets his eyes and Dean can see the hesitation there before he nods. "Okay."

Dean grins. "Then come on," he says, holding aside some tree branches for Castiel to get through. "Before someone catches us."

Castiel steps into the trees and Dean follows him in. They make their way through the thick foliage, grabbing tree stumps and branches as they carefully walk down the steep slope toward the lake. As they descend, Dean tells Castiel all about the summer Dean, Victor, and Sam were hanging out in the woods after dark when suddenly Victor said he thought he saw something. A second later, Victor took off, fast as lightning, shouting for them to run.

"Then it came out of the woods and-," Dean laughs, the memory clear in his mind. "I wish you had seen his face- Victor screamed at the top of his lungs, he was so fucking scared. I looked over at the 'werewolf' and I busted out laughing because it was a pretty average sized dog. I'm pretty sure it had arthritis," Dean finishes with a laugh, just as they get down to the water's edge.

Castiel smiles. "It's a good thing it wasn't a werewolf, or you probably wouldn't be here right now."

Dean turns to Castiel and smiles back. Normally he would have leaned in and kissed him, but he can feel the uncertainty coming off Castiel in waves and he knows that they need to talk about the days to come.

There's a gate blocking entry to the dock, but it isn't locked, so Dean lifts the latch and they make their way over to it. Dean doesn't hesitate stripping down to his boxers like he's done many nights this summer, but Castiel is a little more reserved and he takes his time folding his clothes and hiding them behind a rock, along with Dean's. He joins Dean on the dock and glances over at him before he dives elegantly into the water. Dean follows him in with a canon ball.

The water is freezing and Dean's limbs seize up for a moment as they get used to the sudden change in temperature. Once they relax again, he splashes around in the water while Castiel slices his way back and forth between the dock at the waterfront and a smaller one far off in the middle of the lake. Eventually, he tires and swims out to the trampoline floating in the water and climbs up the ladder on the side. Castiel follows him up and they lay out on the stretchy top with the moon shining down on them.

Dean turns to Cass, shivering as the water cools on his skin, and smiles at him. "So… we should probably talk about tomorrow."

Castiel's eyes train on the freckles peppering Dean's chest and he reaches out, connecting them with the tip of his finger and drops of water. "It's not as if we can do anything to stop it from happening."

"Yeah," Dean said, smiling even though he felt helpless, too. He breathed in deeply and breathed out long and slow, trying to calm his nerves. He focused on the feeling of Cass' finger tracing his skin. "Look…" he breathed. "Cass, I like you. I really, really fucking like you and I want this." He put his hand on Cass' cheek and, finally, Cass looked up and met his gaze. "Skype, long-distance phone calls or car rides; whatever it takes, Cass. If you want me," Dean said, "I'm your's."

There was a heart-stopping moment where no one said a thing and Dean worried that he'd screwed everything up. Then Castiel smiled at him and pressed a kiss to Dean's lips.

"Thank god."


End file.
